Analysis of Feature-Completeness in Android Cross-Platform Frameworks

Abstract

In cross-platform mobile development research, we frequently encounter mentions of limitations and constraints potentially imposed by technical tools and development frameworks.
This is especially prominent in the context of programmatic device- and platform feature access, including features such as GPS, Internet and device camera access.
Although the majority of the literature does not empirically validate these claims, they have reached acceptance in both practitioners' communities and academic research.
By downloading a sample of 300,000 Android applications available on the Google Play Store and analysing them, we set forth to find which platform- and device features are the most commonly included in deployed apps.
Based on the results, we map the features to their availability in five major cross-platform development frameworks, thus provide an overview of feature completeness and potential shortcomings in these popular frameworks.
Our findings indicate that the scrutinised frameworks range from 86.37% to 95.46% feature-completeness and can thus facilitate the development of mobile apps relying on features that are commonly found in our assessed sample of Android apps.